


The Journey

by EndlessExplorer



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Action/Adventure, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fantasy, Fate & Destiny, Friends to Lovers, Revenge, Romance, Swords, Swords & Sorcery, vengence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-04 09:43:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14590263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessExplorer/pseuds/EndlessExplorer
Summary: A novelization of one of my Awakening Playthroughs. Main Couple is Chrobin, but others will be added as story progresses.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone reading this may notice a difference in writing styles as the story progresses, and thats because this fiction has been sitting in my folders for ages...  
> Please read, rate, and enjoy!

Chrom, Lissa, and their ever-stoic Guardian Frederick, were walking side-by-side through the Ylissean countryside. They were on patrol, making sure that the Ylissean people were free from any danger, as their Plegian neighbours had been getting overzealous lately and had begun to sneak across the border to murder, rape, or pillage, sometimes even all three. Today however, it was a quiet, beautiful day and Chrom hated it.

  For as long as he could remember it, Chrom had known little other than combat. A sparring match between himself and Frederick had become a comfort to him, and allowed him some of his clearest, or calmest times of pondering himself and the world around him. Today, the birds sang their chorus, Lissa groaned in annoyance, and Chrom almost felt like burying Falchion in the trunk of the nearest tree because his muscles practically called for it.

  As Chrom swung Falchion in lazy arcs by his side, he could hear Lissa trying to pull Frederick into a game of ‘I spy’. Chrom’s sister sometimes made it her life’s mission to get the Great Knight to lighten up some bit but would always be met with Frederick insistence that a ‘Knights duty was to protect his charge.’ Lissa didn’t seem to be having any of that today and began to grind her teeth in annoyance every time Frederick would refuse to help her satiate her boredom.

  Continuing up the road, Chrom finally saw something in the distance that had pulled him from his bored stupor. A bronze sword stood, stabbed deep in the earth, on top of a hill. Chrom sheathed Falchion and broke into a sprint, Lissa following shortly after as she hadn’t noticed him run off since she was beating Frederick’s armour with her staff. Frederick simply sighed and followed behind, tying his armoured steed to a nearby tree. As Chrom reached the top of the hill, he noticed that there was someone sleeping beside the anchored sword. A woman, who couldn’t have been much older than Chrom himself, lay asleep beside the sword. Her chest rose and dipped as she gently breathed in the summer breeze, her long brunette locks lay spread out around her face.

   Chrom didn’t know what to do at first, but when Lissa reached the top of the hill, she checked for a pulse, or any form of trauma. Frederick stood between the body and Chrom, his lance outstretched, almost as though he expected the body to suddenly explode in a shower of blood and ophal.

  “Frederick? Aren’t you overreacting?... Even a small bit?” Chrom asked, but Frederick stood still. Walking around him, Chrom knelt beside Lissa who was still checking the unconscious girl over.

  “She’s alright from what I can tell. No scars, lesions, bruises or wounds. This is simply a girl asleep in a field, in the middle of nowhere. I will admit though that she’s one heavy sleeper…” Lissa said. Frederick stepped in, finally lowering his silver lance.

   “Then I suggest we leave this woman be and continue on our patrol. The exalt would have my head if I made her worry about her younger siblings.” Lissa stared at the Knight shocked that he’d say such a thing.

  “Frederick… You could murder me and Chrom right now, and even desecrate our corpses for good measure and the worst that Emm would do is exile you. She wouldn’t harm a hair on your head, and you know it!” Lissa shouted. Chrom smirked.

  “C’mon Chrom, we have to do something…” Lissa said, hoping to appeal to her brother’s sense of honour.

  “What would you suppose we do?” Chrom said, turning to face Lissa. They were both so caught up in their conversation that they never noticed the woman underneath them had begun to wake up.

  “I don’t know!” Lissa urged. As a groan escaped the lips of the strange woman, Lissa and Chrom stared down at her. “Hello there…”

 “There are plenty of better places to take a nap then on the ground you know. Here, give me your hand.” Chrom said. He took the woman’s hand and slowly helped her up to her feet. Chrom couldn’t look away from the deep scarlet shade of her eyes, but Lissa’s loud giggle helped bring him back to reality. “Are… Are you alright? Mind telling me what you were doing here out in the middle of bandit infested countryside?”

  “Yes, I’m alright. Thank you Chrom…” The stranger said. She stretched her arms up over her head, and gave a sigh of relief when she heard a snap.

  “Oh? Have we meet? What is your name?” Chrom asked, perplexed. Frederick stared at the woman with a sense of impending doom.

  “My name?... My name is… I can’t remember! Why can’t I remember my name?!” the stranger asked. She seemed to be panicking and Chrom felt bad for her.

  “Oh! I’ve heard of this! It’s called amnesia!” Lissa shouted, proudly.

 “I’m sorry Milady, but this is called a poor actor and a pile of Pegasus dung! This ‘woman’ is probably a Plegian spy! Tell me who you work for, or your life will be made forfeit!” Frederick shouted, levelling his lance with the woman’s ribcage. The woman now looked terrified, and Chrom quickly stepped in and ordered Frederick to drop his lance.

   “I’m sorry about Frederick, but you don’t gain the title of ‘Sir Frederick the Wary’ for nothing. My company and I are travelling to the next Village, down the road. If you’ll follow us there, we can leave you in the hands of someone who might be able to help you. Is that alright?” Chrom asked, smiling. The look of utter terror had left the woman’s face and she smiled, shaking Chrom’s hand.

  “That would be lovely. Thank you” The woman said. Turning around, the woman pulled the bronze sword from the earth almost effortlessly and swung it once or twice to test its weight. Suddenly, something came to her.

 “Mia! That’s my name! By the way, who owns this sword?” Mia said.

  “How does secretive witch sound?” Frederick said, leering at Mia. Mia felt very uncomfortable and flinched slightly under the Great Knight’s intensive stare.

  “Frederick! That is enough! If she turns out to be a spy and attempt to cross us, I will kill her myself. For now, stop this petty squabble!” Chrom ordered. He turned to face Mia. “Now, Mia huh? Is that foreign? Oh, and that sword isn’t ours. We thought that it was yours.”

  Mia sheathed the sword in her belt with practiced ease. “I think it’s foreign but I’m not sure. Thank you for your faith and trust in me Chrom. And Sir Frederick? I swear to you that I am no spy to this Plegia that you speak of. In fact, I don’t know what I am.” Mia said, hanging her head solemnly. Lissa walked up and embraced Mia tightly.

  “Don’t worry Mia. We’ll help ya!” Lissa said, “Now come on! We’ve got to get a move on!”


	2. The Flow of Battle

The walk was mostly silent, with Lissa trying to get as much information out of Mia as she could. Frederick was watching Nat very closely while Chrom walked beside him. Chrom would laugh whenever Frederick’s hand would tense around his lance, as he watched Lissa and Mia converse.

  “Would you relax a bit Frederick? You’re going to break that lance in two if you don’t stop soon. As weird as it sounds, I feel as though we can trust Mia. She doesn’t stick me as the kind of person who’d stab you in the back.” Chrom said, trying his best to defend his new companion. Frederick just stared at Chrom as though he was being terribly naïve.

  “I’m sorry Milord but finding someone stranded out in the middle of nowhere, possibly faking being an amnesiac, and that someone being so close to your sister, it has me on edge. If she so much as tries to harm a hair on the Princesses’ head, I’ll run her through with my lance. I will allow no harm to come to you and your sister.” Frederick stated.

  “Thank you Frederick bu- “Chrom tried to say before Lissa’s high pitched shriek cut him off. Frederick bared his teeth and was prepared to strike Mia down when he noticed that the town ahead of them was burning. Frederick stopped and looked to Chrom for guidance. Mia noticed that Lissa was doing the same, so she deduced that Chrom must have been their commander or something. Standing in line alongside Frederick and Lissa, Mia watched as Chrom pulled a long, and elegant sword from the sheath on his waist, and she fell in love with it. Mia decided that she’d question Chrom about the sword when people’s lives weren’t in danger.

  “Come now Shepherds! There is a town in need of our help and I will not allow this insult to go on any further. I suspect that this is the work of some Plegian brigands, which would explain why we have seen such a small number of them today. Frederick will accompany Lissa, who will provide aid to both the villagers or us if needs be. I’ll take the centre of town. Now come!” Chrom ordered. Just as he was about to run off, Frederick stopped him and directed him towards Mia.

  “And what of ‘Mia’ milord? What shall we do with her?” Frederick asked. Without looking in Mia’s direction, Chrom ordered that she stay here, as the town warranted more attention. Frederick complied and climbed atop his horse, riding off in the direction of town. Chrom and Lissa followed behind, leaving Mia alone. Grabbing the hilt of her newly acquired bronze sword, Mia ran off after them, itching to get into a fight.

  Mia saw Frederick run a brigand through as Lissa was helping some woman who was leaning against one of the market stalls. Mia found Chrom crouching behind a different stall and ran up beside him. Chrom was surprised at first and wondered why Mia had ignored his order, but she defended herself saying that she had a sword and was willing to help. Chrom nodded, showing appreciation for the help, and gestured to a myrmidon who was walking around near the opposite side of the marketplace. Mia stared at him, and surprised herself with how much she seemed to know about the bandit.

  “Chrom? I don’t know how but it almost feels as though I can feel the flow of this battle? For instance, that sword wielder over there? His left side is weaker, and he also seems to be limping on his left leg. If we pressure him to have to use his left side, he’ll almost definitely fall.” Mia said, shaking her head, confused with what had just happened.

  Chrom looked impressed at Mia’s almost unnatural ability. “Let’s see how good that eye of yours really is?” And he ran off, towards the myrmidon.

  “Chrom! Wait!” Mia shouted as she grabbed her own sword and took off after Chrom.

  Chrom lowered his shoulder and charged into the myrmidon from his right side. Chrom caught the man by surprise and hearing a crack, he knew that the swordsman’s leg was now broken. With a quick swing of Falchion, the myrmidon was decapitated, and his body fell to the floor. Turning to face Mia, Chrom still had that slightly goofy grin on his face, and Mia thought it was incredibly cute. Mia quickly lifted her hood to hide her growing blush and charged at Chrom. Chrom’s eyes widened as he realised that Mia was on a collision course to hit him and Chrom then crouched. Mia rolled over him and struck down the axe-wielding bandit that had almost taken Chrom’s head from his shoulders. Chrom was about to thank Mia, but Frederick seemed to appear by his side from almost nowhere, despite that he was the only one present that was mounted.

   “Milord! That was foolish and arrogant of you! That bandit could have fatally wounded you because you weren’t taking notice of your surroundings! While I may be sceptical of this strange woman’s origin, I’m thankful that she lifted her sword to protect you. Now come on, we’ve a few more to vanquish before the day is done!” Frederick said, galloping off into the town centre. Chrom rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed that he had been called out in the middle of combat. Mia had a hand clasped over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter but Chrom could see it in her eyes that she had found the last few seconds, beyond hilarious.

  “Thanks for that… Don’t really know what came over me there. I’m usually a lot more attentive to what’s going on around me.” Chrom muttered. Mia put her hand on Chrom’s shoulder, and silently lifted her sword as a sort of invitation to delve back into combat. Chrom gave a quick nod, and followed Mia, with Falchion held high.

  Frederick watched with curiosity as Chrom and Mia seemed to work so well on the battlefield, even though it was their first time. They worked with a strange efficiency that made them look like a tornado of swift death, as they charged through the bandits stationed on the town bridge. Soon, all that remained was the bandit chief who was trying to intimidate Chrom with threats to his family.

  “When I kill ya’ Imma go and bury my axe in that sister of yours. Once I’ve murdered you all, I’ll burn down one town for every one of my men that you’ve just killed!” The bandit shouted. Lissa had leapt up behind Frederick on his horse and watched with anticipation on how her brother was going to defuse or outright solve the situation.

  “I’m sorry, but are you just about done? This is starting to get annoying…” Mia said, cocking her hip to one side. Suddenly the bandit turned his attention to Mia and stared at her as though she was a piece of meat and he, a hungry animal.

  “Hello there, beautiful. What is someone like you doing here?” The bandit asked slowly. Mia disregarded him and simply repeated her question. The bandit simply laughed and the hunger in his eyes began to grow. Lissa could see from where she and Frederick had stayed back that Chrom’s arms had begun to tense and his posture had straightened up. Chrom’s temper was beginning to rise and when it reached its breaking point, Lissa knew from experience that anything on the receiving end would want to have said it’s prayers.

  “Alright, you dastard! You’ve killed and pillaged, and as leader of the Shepherds, it is my duty to deal justice to those that deserve it! Ready your weapon as you fight for your life!” Chrom shouted. Lissa rolled her eyed at her brother’s rare shows of theatrics. Chrom lifted Falchion, while Mia lifted her own sword. The bandit lifted his axe and waited for someone to make the first move. Chrom was about to charge but from the corner of his eye, he noticed a streak of purple run toward the waiting bandit, and with a smirk, Chrom followed behind.

  The bandit raised his axe above his head and was about to bring it down on Mia’s head when Mia brought her own sword up and using both hands, tried to support the heavy weight. Chrom came at the bandit from the other side that was now open, but for such a large man, he had quite fast reflexes and dodged Chrom’s advances. As he was distracted, Mia pushed against him and knocked him off her so that she could stand up. Mia was then knocked back when she received a punch from the bandit in the nose and clutching her broken nose, Mia dropped her sword. The bandit smiled sadistically and lifted his axe in the hopes of decapitating Mia. Mia stared at the axe in horror and awaited the coming strike. As a sharp breeze blew by her face, Mia opened her eyes and saw that Chrom was holding the bandit’s axe back. To the side, Mia could see that Frederick was racing furiously to help Chrom, but he would take too long. Pulling a tome from her robes pocket, Mia tried to cast a basic flame spell. Mia knew that the spell wouldn’t do much damage, but she hoped that it would be enough to get the bandit off Chrom. As Mia muttered the incantation, sparks began to fly from the book and a sharp pain flew up her arm, causing her to recoil in pain. A bolt of energy flew from Mia’s palm, knocking her back a few feet, and Chrom managed to knock the bandit back while he was once again distracted. Falling to the floor beside Mia, Chrom watched as the bandit looked himself over, chuckled and commented on how useless the spell was, and then clutched his head and screamed in agony. The bandit’s body seemed to convulse and swell up, until he simply exploded, showering the immediate area in a fine, red mist.

  Chrom and Frederick stared with complete disbelief while Lissa went and checked on Mia. With a quick swing of her staff, Lissa had Mia’s nose reset in the right position but it was still swollen. Chrom was about to question Mia on how she caused the bandit to explode, but he noticed that even she was surprised with what happened. Frederick helped Chrom stand, while Lissa tended to her new-found friend and patient.

  An hour passed while Chrom and Frederick checked up around town. Now, the Shepherds stood at the edge of town, discussing what they were going to do next.

  “Milord, Milady, we should return to the capitol as soon as possible. Those bandits spoke with a Plegian accent and I fear that they are but a taste of the coming meal. We should inform the Exalt of this at once.” Frederick suggested.

  “I agree with Sir Frederick. If this assault is a matter of national security, then we should inform someone as soon as possible.” Mia said.

  “What are you doing here, Miss? To my knowledge, you were to leave our company now that we had made it to the next village…” Frederick said, glaring at Mia.

  “Frederick, stop! I liked how Mia conducted herself on the battlefield today and both her tactical guidance and combat proficiency were hugely helpful. That is why I offered Mia a permanent position as the Shepherds tactician. I’m happy to say that she accepted the position, so that is why she is still here.” Chrom explained. Lissa squealed in excitement as she wrapped her arms tight around Mia’s waist, embracing her. Mia returned the sentiment before they broke apart. A townsman approached from behind Chrom and tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Sire? I’m sorry, but the townspeople had decided to throw a feast for the bountiful harvest before those brutes showed up. The feast is still going ahead, but we’d be honoured to have you all there as our guests for saving us.” The townsman said. Lissa started going off towards town, drool almost falling from her mouth. Her spirits were broken however, when Chrom refused the offer of a hot meal, saying that they all had to return to Ylisstol as soon as they were able. Lissa almost started to cry as Frederick helped her sit up atop his horse, crying at the lack of food in her stomach. While Mia walked beside Chrom, Frederick replied to Lissa’s antics with a soft laugh, to which Lissa replied.

 “OH! SO, YOU DON’T LAUGH AT MY JOKES, BUT YOU LAUGH AT MY MISERY!”


	3. Wielding Falchion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An original chapter that came to mind when I built this character in my head.

Lissa had fallen asleep, leaning against Frederick while Mia and Chrom had been chatting while walking towards Ylisstol, the Ylissean capitol. The sun was beginning to descend so the sky had turned a lovely shade of pink. Mia hadn’t an idea what time of the year it was, but taking how warm it was, Mia guessed it was summer or spring time. Mia took her sword from her belt and held it out in front of her. It was a horrible sword, unbalanced and dull. Then the earlier image of Chrom’s sword came to mind and Mia started daydreaming. After the earlier magic incident, it was a unanimous vote that Mia be banned from casting magic and it was a rule that Mia had no intention of breaking.

  “Mia? Mia?!” Chrom said, shaking her shoulder. The glazed look left Mia’s eyes and she blushed again, embarrassed that she had started daydreaming in the middle of their conversation about Ylisse and her people. Mia looked down to Chrom’s waist and spotted his sword. It must have been new, or crafted recently because the hilt hadn’t a scratch anywhere. Chrom followed Mia’s gaze and unsheathed Falchion when he realised that she was staring at the blade hungrily.

  “Sorry about that Chrom, but… maybe could I hold that?” Mia asked, pointing towards Falchion with a shaky finger. Chrom saw no harm in giving Mia the fabled blade, so he held it out over her open arms and watched as her eyes widened like saucers. Frederick was about to stop Chrom relinquishing his weapon when Chrom left go, and almost like slow motion, Mia and Falchion hit the floor in unison, with Mia screaming. The loud noises had awoken Lissa and when she realised what was going on, she joined Frederick in boisterous laughter.

  Chrom stared at Mia in wonder. Sure, a lot of people had asked to use Falchion, but in all those cases, the sword simply acted like a dull butter-knife. Chrom could remember that it was only to those who were worthy to wield the blade, that Falchion would act like the sword from the legends, but here, the sword was crushing Mia’s arms and Chrom finally regained use of his arms and lifted the sword up. Chrom tested Falchion’s weight and it was just like always, a featherweight to those who could wield it. Seeing the tears in Mia’s eyes, Chrom hurried over and grabbed    Lissa. Lissa reset Mia’s broken arms and gave her a vulnerary to ease the pain. Chrom felt horrible about what happened and tried to apologise to Mia over what had happened, but he had no idea what happened.

  “How in the name of Naga, can you wield that thing! It broke my arms!” Mia said, angrily.

  “I’m really sorry Mia, but that has never happened before… I don’t know what happened. See Falchion is a holy weapon, usable only by members of the royal family who have the mark of the exalt… I’m really confused why that happened to you. I’m sorry…” Chrom said, sheathing Falchion once again.

  It’s alright, but that was weird. I’m thankful that you helped me, rather than someone looking on in laughter.” Mia said, glaring at Frederick. The knight didn’t even flinch.

  “Try all you want, not even Grima could break Frederick.” Lissa commented, picking up her salves.

  “Right! Now that, that is over, Come On! If we can, I want to make it back to Ylisstol tonight.” Chrom said, and off they marched.


	4. Bear Meat and the Risen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the last chapter was so small, I decided to put up another chapter right after.

The sun had sunk in the valley and Ylisse was covered in darkness. Lissa was complaining that her feet were blistered while Chrom rebutted, saying that she was the only one who had slept on the journey.

  “Chrom? Can we maybe stop for the night? I’m exhausted.” Mia suggested. Chrom looked around, and decided that the road that they were on was quiet. Coming off the main road, the Shepherds began to make camp. Frederick went off to find something to eat, while Lissa, Chrom and Mia pitched the tents. Frederick had packed a spare tent and bedroll in case one of theirs broke or ripped, and Chrom had offered it to Mia. Once Mia had made her tent, she took her coat off and left it on the bedroll. Stepping outside, Mia stretched and joined Chrom by the campfire that he had made. Frederick had returned with the corpse of a bear, and was roasting meat skewers over the open flame. Lissa seemed to still be inside her tent but joined the group some small time later.

  “So, Frederick? What did you manage to catch that could beat fresh mutton? Or cake? Or fresh potatoes…?” Lissa asked, sitting in a huff. Mia watched the bear meat cook over the flames and began to count down the seconds until she could ease the hunger pains in her stomach.

  “I could only find bear meat milady. I apologise if that is not to your liking, but I was not about to rob a sheep from a local farm like some brigand.” Frederick replied, handing a skewer to Chrom.

  Uh, Bear?! I asked for food, not some gamy piece of rubbish. Shoe leather is more appetising than bear meat. I knew that we should have just stayed in that village.” Lissa complained. Chrom laughed and turned to his sister. While his back was turned, Mia pulled a piece of meat from his skewer and began to quietly eat it. She felt bad after, but she was still starving.

   “Come now sister, hardships build character. So enjoy your dinner and eat up!” Chrom laughed.

  “Oh, I’ve built enough character, thank you very much. Now I want to have a warm bed, a warm EDIBLE meal, and not have to worry about bugs crawling in my mouth while I sleep!” Lissa shouted. Mia looked up from her meal momentarily and grinned while Chrom rolled his eyes.

  “Milady, you require food in order to preform your duties properly. Please eat up and preserve your energy.” Frederick urged. Lissa turned her glare on Frederick.

  “And you! I don’t see the ‘great knight Frederick’ eating this gamy rubbish! If I need my energy, then you need it in droves! Where’s your bear meat?!” Lissa said. Frederick cleared his throat and went back staring at the fire.

   “As a knight of the Ylissean royal family, it is my duty to make sure that my charges are fed and sheltered before I take care of myself. We didn’t have enough meat for everyone, so I decided to forgo my dinner so that Milord, Milady and our new tactician would not starve.” Frederick explained. Chrom was trying to hide his obvious amusement while Mia was more interested in cleaning her own skewer. Lissa pointed her skewer at Frederick as though she was waving a wand.

  “We can’t have that! Come here Frederick, I’ll share my own meal with you so that our brave and selfless knight doesn’t starve.” Lissa exclaimed, getting gradually closer to Frederick. For once in his life, Chrom saw Frederick flinch as Lissa neared ever closer, and it was such a surprise to Lissa as well, that she froze, and Frederick took that as an opportunity to stand up and go on an all-night patrol around the camp.

  Once Lissa recovered, her face twisted into a frown and she walked over and sat down in her place in a huff. As she slowly pulled a chunk of meat off the skewer, she began to chew slowly, and loudly. As Chrom stabbed his skewer into the ground, he turned to Lissa who was eating still. Once she finally had enough, Lissa threw her skewer into the firepit and watched the meat burn.

   “I doubt that I’m the only one who hates that stuff, right Mia? Mia?” Lissa said, turning to face their new companion. Lissa was surprised to see that in all that time that she had tried to force-feed Frederick her dreaded bear meat, Mia had taken her coat off and wrapped the material into a makeshift pillow, despite her tent being a short distance away. Chrom had flashbacks to when they had found Mia earlier that morning, but she seemed more peaceful now.

  “I’m going for a walk in the forest before I retire for the night. Would you like to join me Lissa?” Chrom said, standing up.

  “Yeah, I suppose. I’ve nothing better to be doing.” Lissa said and they both travelled into the surrounding evergreens.

   It was a peaceful night. The stars shone in the sky, but there were no birds strangely. Chrom thought nothing of it and kept walking, with Lissa humming beside him. After a while, Chrom said to Lissa,

  “What do you think of Mia?”

  “Me? Well she’s nice and looks pretty and she can kick ass! I think that she’d be a great addition to the Shepherds. Why? Frederick isn’t trying to convince you to throw her in irons, is he?” Lissa said, facing Chrom.

   “Oh no! but it is strange. I feel as though I’ve known Mia as long as you, Emm or even Frederick. I feel as though I could trust her with my life, and I can’t explain it…” Chrom explained. Now that Lissa had stopped her hum, the lack of sound around them was becoming painfully obvious. Chrom looked around and saw no birds in the trees or lizards on the ground. He began to worry.

  “Maybe she’s just one of those kinds of people. I mean with first impressions and her personality, she has me liking her already, but it’ll take a lot for Ol’ Freddy to feel the same. Why do you look so nervous?” Lissa asked.

  Suddenly, the earth beneath them began to quake. Lissa squealed while Chrom grabbed her collar to stabilise her. Once the ruptures stopped momentarily, Chrom pushed Lissa forward and ordered her to run. Chrom ran close behind her, but neither of them expected the ground around them to start sinking and they were forced to jump down into a small alcove. Lava began to flow from the deep cuts in the earth and the once peaceful forest began to look like a scene from Armageddon.

  “Chrom! Look!” Lissa shouted as they both watched a tear in the sky rip open. Instinctively, Chrom unsheathed Falchion and stood in front of Lissa to protect her. Ebony skinned monsters poured from the tear and jerkingly stood up, brandishing weapons. One charged at Chrom and Chrom went to slice threw his midriff, only for Falchion to meet only air. Chrom was caught off-guard and narrowly avoided the creature trying to stun him with a knock from his weapon. Chrom killed the monster after a short time, and only then noticed that another one of the creatures was advancing on Lissa, forcing her to back herself against a tree. Chrom ran to help Lissa but watched as a mysterious swordsman fell from the earlier tear and stopped the creature from mortally wounding Lissa. Between them, Chrom and the swordsman killed the other creature and saved Lissa. When Lissa turned to thank her mysterious saviour, he had vanished into thin air. Chrom looked out and saw that the same creatures had been deposited all over the valley. He then noticed that Lissa looked as though she had seen a ghost and he embraced her. Chrom knew he didn’t want himself to ever see creatures as hideous as these, but he never wanted Lissa exposed to something like this even more.

  A rustle in the bushes behind them proved to just be Mia, followed by Frederick who began apologising for his lack of protection. Chrom told him was fine and then explained to both Frederick and Mia about what they were about to face. Nothing showed in Frederick’s usual stoic demeanour, but Mia looked terrified.

 “I take it from everyone’s horrified faces that such creatures are not common place in Ylisse? Where could they have come from?” Mia asked.

   “Mia, don’t be ridiculous! Of course, they’re not! But Milord, where did they come from?” Frederick said, lifting Lissa up on his horse. Mia watched as Lissa clung on to Frederick as though he was her lifeline and Mia felt bad for her. She must have been terrified.

  “Believe me Frederick, you wouldn’t believe me even if I tried to explain it to you. All I know is that we have an entire field of these dastards to destroy. Mia, I place us in your capable hands. We will follow your orders.” Chrom explained, putting everyone’s attention on Mia.

   “Right guys, we’re a little out-numbered, but that won’t matter. Since Lissa is the only non-combatant, she will stay with Frederick. Frederick will travel down and eliminate the forces taking refuge in the trees. Chrom and I will take the nearby forts. We will rendezvous before we take the last few down in the south-western corner. Am I clear?” Mia ordered. Frederick and Chrom nodded their heads. “Watch your backs… This is an unknown enemy and we don’t know much about them.”

  Chrom watched Frederick ride off as he unsheathed Falchion. Mia came over and quickly embraced Chrom, asking if he was alright. After he sated her fears with a smirk and a few waves of his hand, they both took up their swords and fought their way through the field. Mia was sickened to see plumes of dark energy billowing from the creature’s mouths and the field had begun to reek of death and despair. Chrom was disheartened to say that it was a stench that he had become familiar with, but Mia had to stop at least once to relieve her stomach of the dinner that she had been so happy to eat, some hours previous.

  Chrom could see the life being leeched from the earth and the flora around them. Withered berries fell from bushes, leaves fell from the trees and the lava also wasn’t helping matters. As he drew Falchion threw the final archer, he stood beside Mia as they looked out at who remained on the battlefield.

  “That one over there, he’s barricaded by those creatures. He must be their leader. It’s got a throwing axe, so we’ve got to keep our distance, eliminate his protection and only then should we go for the kill… Chrom? Chrom? Are you even listening to me?” Mia explained. Mia looked to Chrom, who was staring down at Frederick, who was being followed by another cavalier, who had an archer standing on her horse behind her. If they weren’t killing the creatures, Mia would have mistaken them for a circus act. After the trees were cleared, Mia placed her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Soon enough, Frederick and their new allies had ridden towards them.

   “Who, pray tell, is that fair beauty?” the archer asked as he leapt down off the cavalier’s horse.

  “This is Mia, she’s the Shepherd’s new tactician. She’s doing a good job of leading us to victory against these creatures, so follow her orders.” Chrom explained. The cavalier extended her hand towards Mia, and Mia graciously accepted the handshake.

   “Nice to see someone else who’s not afraid to get dirty in the trenches. The name’s Sully. That philandering fool over there, that’s Virion. We’re in the Shepherd’s too, so I’d say that makes you our new boss…” Sully said.

   “I’m no fool Miss Sully. I’m the archiest of archers, capable of hitting an enemy at one hundred paces without breaking a sweat.” Virion argued, pouting.

   “We’ve no time for all these games! We’ve a duty to protect the Halidom and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but they’re not all dead yet!” Frederick urged, twirling his lance in his hand. Mia nodded her head in agreement with Frederick, and ordered the Shepherd’s to advance on the remainder of the dark creatures. There was a vanguard of three axe-wielders before their leader could be attacked, and between Virion, Frederick, and Sully, they were vanquished in haste. Sully had sustained a rather deep gash to her knee, and with Lissa still paralysed in fear, Frederick had to patch up Sully’s wounds. That left the chief to Chrom and Mia, who stepped up to the challenge, enthusiastically.

  Chrom lifted Falchion and charged at the large creature, who was able to defect the blow with ease. Chrom stumbled back a few paces, but managed to keep his footing. Mia sprinted at the creature, and feigned an attack to it’s left side. As the creature took the bait, it allowed Mia to quickly change direction and cut off the creature’s right foot. The creature didn’t seem fazed by the attack, and Chrom understood why, when he watched as energy poured from the stump and the creatures foot regrew. Now the creature went on the offensive and took swipe after swipe at Mia, quickly whittling her stamina down until she could barely keep her sword up in defence. Chrom had regained his energy and ran the creature threw from behind, just before it could harm Mia. As the creature melted in a black miasma of energy, Chrom helped Mia up. Mia laughed for a few seconds, before she fainted from sheer exhaustion. Chrom picked up her sword and sheathed it in his belt, across from Falchion. Now that Chrom had a second to look at his new friend, he could see that there were small twigs stuck in Mia’s long, brown hair from when she had been sleeping earlier. He pulled a few out with a chuckle and lifted Mia, bridal style and carried her back to their small convoy.

  Chrom knew he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight, not after what he had just witnessed. After sitting Mia on the back of Sully’s horse, The Shepherd’s marched on for Ylisstol, determined to reach the capitol by morning.


	5. Ylisstol and The Shepards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how long it took me to update. Truth be told, I kinda forgot about 'The Journey', I was focusing more on my other projects...   
> Anyway, here's another chapter and please leave a comment on what you think... It helps me improve.

Mia opened her eyes slowly to the unusual glow of an oil lamp, mounted on the wall above her. Assessing her surroundings, Mia noticed that she was not out in the dark forest, but in what looked to be an infirmary. She pulled the cotton duvet closer to her, thankful for the heat that it provided. Then Mia also noticed that she was wearing a gown and her undergarments, with her coat, shirt, trousers and boots resting on a dresser beside the bed. Mia tried to sit up, but her body was tired from the overuse in combat and she fell back underneath the covers.

  Panic began to set in as Mia had no idea where she was. All she could remember is seeing Chrom’s worried face before her vision tunnelled and she hit the floor. Where was she? What had happened to her friends? Her questions were soon answered when the large door near her bed was pushed open and a nurse walked in. The cup that the nurse had been holding, hit the floor when Mia tried to ask her a question and had to watch as the nurse ran from the room as though she had seen a ghost. Her answer came in the form of Chrom who pushed the door open and sat down beside Mia on the bed.

  “You had us worried there, y’know. After the risen attack in the forest, four days ago, you’ve been asleep since. Lissa was certain almost that you had died, but then Frederick would point out that you were breathing and Lissa would calm down again. I was worried myself as well. I’ve told the exalt about you and she says that she is looking forward to meeting you. How do you feel?” Chrom explained. Mia replied with a look of utter confusion.

  “What are Risen? and where are we? Who undressed me?” Mia asked. Chrom stood up and placed the pile that was Mia’s clothes in his place.

  “Let me explain. There was a war council summoned and they decided to call those creatures that we faced in the forest, the Risen. There has been reports coming in from all over Ylisse that the Risen have been popping up, so the Shepherd’s are off to Regna Ferox to gain some troops and reinforcements through an alliance. That mean’s it’s time for my tactician to get out of bed and get back to work…” Chrom said, laughing. “As for where we are, we’re in Ylisstol castles infirmary. The nurses here undressed you and took care of you while you were comatose.”

  Alright. Let me get dressed and then I’ll introduce myself to this ‘exalt’ of yours.” Mia said. Chrom helped her sit on the side of the bed as Mia was quite stiff, but left so that she could change in private. Once Mia pulled the large oak door open, both her and Chrom chatted until they came to stand before the throne room. Chrom said that he’d enter first and let the exalt know that she was coming and that he’d summon her shortly. The guards outside the throne room seemed quite wary of Mia, and it reminded Mia of when she first met Frederick, but she chose to ignore the stares and just wait for Chrom to call her in. To Mia’s delight, it only took roughly five minutes before the two large doors were pulled open to reveal a large open throne room, gleaming because of white marble columns and natural sunlight. Chrom stood beside Mia as she walked up to a gentle-looking woman, adorned in a golden crown and emerald coloured gowns. She had a gentle smile on her face and Lissa looked nothing like when they had encountered the Risen a few days previous. The colour had come back to her face.

  The throne room was quiet, and the thuds of Mia’s boots against the polished floors broke the silence quite efficiently. Lissa turned first and waved at Mia with a grin spread across her face. Then the exalt turned her attention to Mia, and she also had a smile on her face. Mia stood before the exalt, and dropped to one knee. When she heard soft laughter, Mia looked up at the exalt who had her hand outstretched to help Mia up. Mia stood up, and was surprised when the exalt embraced her.

  “I’m sorry Lady Emmeryn, but we’ve yet to determine whether or not this woman is a threat to the Halidom. I advise severe caution.” Frederick said. Mia had no idea where the knight had even come from, but she decided that it was a matter that she didn’t need to think about, not yet.

  “I appreciate the thought Frederick, but my brother has told me about this woman. If he, and Lissa trust her, then I do as well. I’ll allow Chrom to employ this woman as the Shepherd’s tactician, and I hope that her prowess in battle proves helpful.” Emmeryn said. Turning to face Mia, Emmeryn laughed, “Mia, was it?”

   “Yes, your excellency and thank you for placing your trust in me. I promise, I will not let you or the Halidom down.” Mia said, bowing once again. Out of nowhere, Lissa grabbed Mia’s hand and started pulling her from the throne room.

  “Sorry guys, but I wanna give Mia the tour of the Shepherd’s barracks. I’ll have her all prepped and ready for when we head for Regna Ferox!” Lissa shouted over her shoulder. Even though she almost fell more then once, Mia couldn’t help but allow herself to be pulled along as she laughed in happiness and genuine interest in seeing all that Ylisse had to offer.

  When Mia and Lissa were outside earshot, Frederick groaned and started rubbing the bridge of his nose. Chrom left the throne room, heading to collect Falchion from the quartermaster before he as well reported to the barracks. With Emmeryn and Frederick by themselves, Emmeryn allowed herself to take solace in her friend’s misery, before thanking Frederick on behalf of the Halidom for taking care of her younger siblings.

    The barracks were not as clean, or as spectacularly built as the castle was, but Mia was thankful for the fact that it had a fireplace. There were a few people in the barracks, and Mia found herself studying each one. There was a blonde man, waving an axe around and attempting to do tricks. A Pegasus knight wearing a lilac coloured armour who seemed to be clutching daisies in her hand, and all the while, Mia felt as though she was being watched by someone, or something that was invisible. A couch sat by the fireplace and as Mia looked around, Lissa threw herself on to the couch, sighing in relief. Suddenly, a door was thrown open and Mia found herself going for her sword. No one seemed to be dashing for their weapons, so Mia sheathed her sword and decided to watch what was about to happen.

  A girl, dressed in a pink blouse and white trousers stormed into the barracks. Once her eyes settled on Lissa, she marched towards her and grabbed her by the collar, pulling Lissa to her feet. The girl wrapped her arms around Lissa and squeezed, almost like if she let go, that Lissa would disappear. Lissa returned the sentiment and started to laugh again.

  “Maribelle… stop! My feet are killing me!” Lissa screamed. Maribelle refused to let go.

  “Do you realise how many grey hairs I’ve sprouted, worrying about when you’d return home! A lady must remain poised and graceful, but you had me reduced to a wreck!” Maribelle screamed. Lissa laughed and plucked a hair from Maribelle’s head.

  “I don’t see any yet Maribelle…” Lissa said, smirking. Suddenly, their moment seemed to be ruined when the blonde man burped loudly. Suddenly, he had become the target for Maribelle’s fury, and watching Maribelle try to size up to the blonde man was quite comical to Mia.

  “For the love of the gods Vaike, have you no shame?! You stand here, before Ylissean royalty, and you act like a simpleton! Would you act the same if this was Lady Emmeryn?” Maribelle asked, jabbing Vaike in the chest with her finger.

  “I hate to say it to ya Maribelle, but I am a simpleton. Not all of us were cut from fine silks like you and your family. Plus, not everyone minded.” Vaike retorted, gesturing to the others in the room. The Pegasus knight waved her hands in-front of her as though she was trying to cut away any involvement in the argument. Mia was simply smiling, when suddenly Lissa burped loudly. Maribelle looked betrayed, while the barracks almost shook with laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Chrom asked, and Mia was surprised with how easily the Shepherds fell into place for their commander. Lissa and Mia stood to one side as Chrom walked in, shaking the rain from his cloak. Chrom shook Mia’s hand and then turned to the assembled group, introducing her. Mia got a gentle handshake from Maribelle, and a stronger one from Vaike. Tragedy struck when Sumia went to shake Mia’s hand, and she tripped, in turn pulling Mia down on top of her. Maribelle shook her head, while Lissa and Vaike laughed again. Chrom looked worried as he tried to pick them both up. Mia graciously accepted the help while Sumia seemed to almost jump to her feet and walk off to some corner and work off the deep scarlet blush on her face.

  “We march for Regna Ferox in the morning, so I want everyone well rested and prepared. Sleep well Shepherds.” Chrom said before marching over to a bunk in the corner and lying down. Mia was a bit confused before Lissa came to her rescue.

  “Chrom may be a prince, but he prefers to sleep here in the barracks with the rest of the Shepherds. Frederick tries to get him to stay in his room in the castle, but Chrom refuses to listen. Says it’s more comfortable down here than having a bed with a thousand pillows.” Lissa explained, “Just grab a bunk anywhere and sleep. It’s a few days on horseback to Regna Ferox.”

  Spotting an empty bunk beside Chrom, Mia sat on the bunk and pulled off her boots. Wrapping her coat around her, Mia lay down and feel asleep, excited about what the future held.


End file.
